Lateral-motion device for locomotives



Feb. 28, 1928.

c. F. PRESCOTT LATERAL MOTION DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed D60. 17. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR M ZW +Mul/I/ ATTORNEY5 Feb. 28, 19281 1,661,013

C. F. PRESCOTT I LATERAL IOTION DEVICE FOR LOCOIO'IIVBS Filed Dec. 17. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 INVENTOR 1 m fiw BY zzw- ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 2 8, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES rnnscorrr, or BRooKLYn, NEW onx, ASSIGNOR T0 FRANKLIN BAIL- WAY serrrrr commas, a cenrona'rion or DELAWARE.

Application filed m mber 17 1924. Serial No. 756,414.

locomotive driving oraxle boxes such, for example, as are illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 611, 010, filed January 6th, 1923. now Patent No. 1,600,425, granted September 21, 1926. i

The primary object of the present inven tion is to provide a lateral motion device of eificient character and suitable strength which i will accommodate itself to certain clearance conditions imposed by some special types of locomotives. The particular condition which I meet by the present invention.

is found in locomotives which are provided with a driving connection or connections inside the frames. An example of such is found in a. three cylinder locomotive with thethird cylinder between the usual two side cylinders and adapted to drive one of. the ordinary driving axles thru the medium of a suitable connecting rod and a crank on said axle. In locomotives of this type it is, of course, obvious that former arrangements of lateral motion devices cannot be employed because of the fact that the cross member betweenthe two boxes of given axle would interfere with the driving connections, 1. e., the connecting rod and the crank, between the third cylinder and said axle.

More specifically considered, therefore, my invention may be said to contemplate the provision of a substantially A inverted U- shaped leverage means between the two boxes of a driving axle with the base of the U extending upwardly inside the locomotive frames and arranged to straddle the aforesaid driving connections. 7 e

In connection with; such an arrangement it is the object of my invention to provide resistance levers which bear against the boxes, one at each side, and project upwardly inside of the locomotive side frames together with a connecting member extending between the upper ends of such resistance levers.

A further object is the provision of means for taking up wear so that the parts may always be held tight. Still another object of the invention is the provision of resistance levers of the character described which shall be fulorumed upon the driving. boxes and which shall receive load from the spring saddle at a point inside their fulcra. A far ther object is the provision of suitable stop means for preventing lateral return thrust beyond nori'nal position.

The foregoing together with such other objects as may appear hereinafter or are incident to my invention I obtain by means of a' construction which is illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawin gs, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial transverse section through a locomotive taken as indicated by the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating certain details of construction with the springsaddle shown in section Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to the showing of Fig. 1 but illustrating modifications of the invention; and Fig. 5 is another fragmentary viewsimilar to that of Fig. 1 illustrating a further modification.

Referring tothe drawings and particularly of Figs. 1, 2 and it will be seen that I have shown the side frames 1 of the loco motive and the forward driving axle 2 with its wheels 3. This axle is mounted in the usual driving boxes 4 arranged for vertical and lateral movement in the pedestal jaws 5 of the frames 1. Below the jaws is the cus tomary pedestal binder 6 and: between the box and the jaws are the wear plates 7 and the wedges 8. The boxes have suitable faces 9 for engagement with the hub faces v10. The foregoing represents usual practice and need not be described in any further detail.

The axle immediately behind the axle 2, which is the axle of the next pair of drivers,

is provided with a crank 11 which is driven and more locomotivesof this type are in the process of manufacture in this country at the present t me.

v My im roved lateral motion device will now be escribed. At the inside each box 4 is provided with projecting shelf-l 1ke lugs or abutment means 13 and. on; the upper face tive takes a curve.

or surface with concave bearing seats 14, said lugs and said bearing seats cooperating to form spaced abutments against which the bell-crank resistance levers 15 are adapted to bear, the resistance levers being provided with a rounded projection 16 adapted to fit into the recess 14 and with an abutment or stop means 17 adapted to engage with the abutment 13. At the base the resistance levers are connected together by the member 18. The resistance levers, therefore, together with the connecting member 18 form a generally U-shaped lever member.

The load of the vehicle is transmitted to the boxes through the usual springs 19 and the spring saddle 20 adapted to straddle the upper rail of the frame 1. The outer leg of the saddle rests directly on the driving box but the inner leg rests upon. the abutments 17 and the connecting member 18 of the resistance levers and it should be noted that this brings the point of support for the inside leg of the saddle to the inside of the pivoting point of the resistance levers, said point being located between the projection 16 and the recess 14;.

A member 21. extends between the upper ends 22 of the resistance levers and between the upper edges, of the frames 1, the member 21 being forked at the ends to provide the legs 23 which embrace the legs of the saddle 20. The member 21 is provided with the downwardly projecting lugs 24 against which the upper ends 22 of the resistance levers are adapted to abut and also with the downwardly projecting lugs 25 adapted to hook over or engage the upper outer edges of the frames 1.

The apparatus so far described which is particularly illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive permits movement of but one axle box at a time, that is, only one box on an axle is permitted to move when the locomo- The operation is as follows: As the locomotive takes a curve with the left-hand wheel 3 to the outside the wheel is forced to the right so that the hub face 10 comes in contact with the face 9 on the box. The box then moves to the right and carries with it the resistance levers and the saddle .20. (The limit of movement of the box is the distance between its flanges 26 and the outside faces of the wear plate 7 and wedge 8 indicated by the character X.) Since the upper ends of the resistance levers pivot or bear against the lugs 24 and since such upper ends cannot move because of the fact that the lugs 2 1 are stationary due to engagement of lug 25 with the outside of frame 1, a rocking movement of said levers will, therefore, follow, the pivot point on the box, as before stated, being upon the projection 16. The abutment 17 will therefore be raised and with it the right hand leg of the saddle 20. (It will be understood, of course,

that in this description of the operation reference is made to the left-hand side of Fig. 1.) The superimposed weight of the vehicle is then carried upon the outside of the box on the one hand and the raised abutments 17 of the resistance levers on the other 'hand and it will therefore be seen that just as soon as the locomotive returns to a tangent stretch of track such weight will immediately rock the resistance levers 15 back to their normal position, the return thrust being stopped by the members 13 and 17. The box is thus brought back to its normal position.

Fig. 1 represents structure which is identical in operation with that of Figs. 1 to 3 with the exception that it shows means for taking up wear and keeping the parts snug. In this figure the upper ends of the resistance levers 15 are provided with rollers 27 adapted to abut against the adjacent face of the wedge 28 which latter is backed by the abutment 2 1 and made adjustable through the medium of the bolts 28 and nuts 29. By raising or lowering the wedge proper adjustment can be maintained at all times.

With the truck illustrated in Fig. 5 motion of the levers 15 can take place at both sides of the axle simultaneously. In this arrangement the member 21 is dispensed with and the upper ends of the resistance levers 15 are connected by means of the 'adjustable memberv 30'having ball and socket connections 31 with the levers.

It will be seen that my lateral motion device taken as a whole is composed of a substantially U-shaped leverage means arranged in an inverted position and adapted to straddle the inside driving connections represented by the crank 1.1 and connecting rod 12. The resistance levers 15 bear against or rest upon the boxes t and project upwardly inside the frames 1 of the locomotive in a manner which makes it possible for the cross or connecting members 21-3O to easily clear the said driving connections.

The whole arrangement is exceedingly simple and rugged and can be easlly applied and when applied is very effective in the performance of its purpose.

I claim:

1. A lateral motion device for locomotives comprising in combination with the driving boxes of an axle, a resistance lever bearing against each box and projecting upwardly inside the locomotive frame, a connecting member between the upper ends of said levers, and stop means on the boxes for preventing lateral return thrust beyond normal position.

2..A lateral motion device for locomotives comprising in combination with the driving boxes of an axle, a resistance lever for each box extending above the box inside jun the locomotive frame, a connecting member between the upper ends of said levers, and stop means on the boxes for preventing lateral return thrust beyond normal position.

3. A lateral motion device for locomotives comprising in combination with thedriving boxes of an axle, a resistance lever for each box extending above the box inside the locomotive frame, a connecting member between the upper ends of said levers, and adjustment means cooperating with said con necting member for taking up wear.

4. In a lateral motion device the combination with the driving box and the locomotive frame, of a resistance lever fulcrumed on the driving box, and a spring saddle straddling the frame and transmitting load to the box inside and. outside the frame with the inside leg resting on the leverinside its fulcrum.

5. A lateral motion device for the boxes 'of a locomotive axle comprising in combination with the locomotive side frames, a resistance lever for each box resting at spaced points thereon and projecting upwardly therefrom inside said points constituting a fulcrum for the lever upon lateral motion of the box, and aconnecting member between the frames bearing a fixed relation to the frames and. providing fulcrums for the upper ends of the resistance levers upon lateral motion of the box.

6. A lateral motion device for the boxes of a locomotive axle comprising in combination with the locomotive side frames, a resistance lever for each box projecting upwardly therefrom inside said frames, a connecting member between the frames'and bearframes, one of said ing a fixed relation thereto and providing fulcrums for the said resistance levers, and wedge adjustment means between a resistance lever and its 'point of bearing onthe connecting member.

7. A railway vehicle lateral motion de vice comprising in combination with an axle box and the vehicle frame, a resistance lever fulcrumed on the box, means for trans- 'mitting vehicle weight to one arm of said lever at a point to the inside of said fulcrum, and means for maintaining the other arm of said lever in a fixed relation with respect to the frame upon lateral motion of the box. 1

8. A railway vehicle lateral motion device comprising in combination with an axle box and. the vehicle frame, a hell-crank resistance lever fulcrumed on the box and extending upwardly inside the frame, means for transmitting vehicle load to one end'of said lever at a point inside said fulcrum, and an abutment for the other end of said lever having a fixed relation with respect to the frame.

9. The combination of a railway vehicle frame, an axle, independently movable axle boxes, a resistance lever bearing on each box and projecting upwardly inside the frame, and means for exerting resistance on said levers upon lateral movement of the respective box, said means cooperating with the frame on the side where the box is moving.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

CHAS. F. PRESCOTT. 

